Do you dream of bringing vibrant, unforgettable characters to life in an expansive fantasy/solarpunk MMORPG? Are you ready to lead, inspire, and push artistic boundaries in a game world powered by Unreal Engine 5? Couch Heroes is on the hunt for a Lead Character Artist to help drive the visual identity of our stylized universe in a team environment and craft the characters that players will remember for a lifetime.

This hands-on leadership role is for someone passionate about high-quality character design, cutting-edge art pipelines, and pushing console performance to its limits. As the guiding force behind our character art team, you’ll set the gold standard, collaborate across disciplines, and shape a game world bursting with personality, energy, and style. This role reports directly to the Art Director.

What You’ll Do:

● Define and champion the artistic vision for characters and creatures, working closely with the Art Director, concept artists, animators, and designers.
● Lead, mentor, and elevate a team of talented character artists, ensuring both artistic excellence and technical mastery.
● Create breathtaking, AAA-quality characters and creatures using advanced sculpting, modeling, texturing, and material techniques.
● Ensure characters are optimized for performance while maintaining jaw-dropping quality for animation and gameplay.
● Work hand-in-hand with tech teams to refine pipelines, tools, and processes.
● Recruit, review, and develop an elite character art team, ensuring both talent and culture thrive.
● Keep production smooth and efficient, maintaining a transparent schedule aligned with project goals.

What You Bring:

● 10+ years in the game industry, with at least 3 shipped titles (including 1 as a Lead Character Artist).
● Expert-level mastery of 3D modeling tools (Blender, 3ds Max, Maya), ZBrush, Substance Designer/Painter, Photoshop, and Marvelous Designer.
● High and low-poly modeling expertise across a variety of styles (realistic, stylized, robotic, organic).
● Deep knowledge of anatomy, form, silhouette, materials, lighting, and color theory to create characters that pop.
● Proven experience optimizing assets for Unreal Engine 5, ensuring a seamless gaming experience.
● Strong empathetic leadership, communication, and project management skills to guide an all-star art team.
● A true passion for gaming and an understanding of how great characters elevate the player experience.

Bonus Points If You Have:

● Rigging, skinning, and scripting expertise (MaxScript, Python, or MEL).
● Be a wonderful and empathetic mentor, comfortable at teaching your craft and instill your knowledge down to your teammates in an effective manner.
● Strong concepting skills for characters, weapons, and props.
● Broader 3D modeling experience (props, environments, etc.).
● Experience with Nanite, Lumen and/or Baked lighting in Unreal Engine 5.
● A background in portrait painting, photography, or cinematography to enhance your artistic vision.
● Familiarity with MMORPGs, MOBAs, RTS, or other genres—the more, the better!
● Comfortable using industry collaboration tools like Slack, Miro, and ClickUp.
● Having stylized works and hand painted art in your portfolio.

Your Portfolio Should Showcase:

● A stunning online portfolio of high-quality 3D and 2D character work.
● Modeled, textured, and lit characters that demonstrate a deep understanding of form, detail, and personality.
● Wireframes and topology breakdowns showing expert craftsmanship.
● A mix of organic and hard surface models from previous industry work.

This is your chance to leave a lasting mark in our epic gaming world. If you’re ready to lead, innovate, and create, we’d love to hear from you!